Meddling with Love
by anaklusmos1
Summary: Let's get this straight. I do not promise a happy ending to this tale. I do however promise it will involve pain, suffering and misery- my favourite package deal. Yes, it was labelled 'Humor'. It is humorous...for me. Eris x


My age old Project

_Dear Diary,_

_This never gets old. I just can't help meddling in the course of true love. Why should they be together anyway? What made them deserve it? Centuries ago, a couple fell in love. Gaius was born a demi-god child of Zeus and Naomi a mermaid child of Poseidon and Amphitrite. The couple met on an island on one of his quests and fell in love- nothing out of the ordinary there (for a hero, anyway) but their fathers' rivalry got in the way. So eventually, I used this knowledge and sent a vicious monster to kill Gaius. _

_Naturally, Zeus thought that this was the work of Poseidon. The gods have been quarrelling ever since. Of course my fun didn't stop there... _

I am Eris

Goddess of Strife and Discord

Getting into the underworld was easy; getting out was another story. Many heroes have tried and failed. Only one god had the sort of exclusive access I was looking for- Hermes. I had invited him for lunch at my palace on Mount Olympus. He had reluctantly accepted, knowing I was not the type to be refused. I was just finishing garnishing the meal when I heard a knock on the door. I added my special drug to his plate before heading for the door.

"Lord Hermes- welcome" I bowed my head slightly. He entered and sat at the table I had arranged. I walked over to the kitchen and laid the meals on the table, making sure to give Hermes the drugged one. I promptly took my first bite. Hey, cooking can really make you hungry.

"Well, it's very nice of you to have invited me for lunch."

"The pleasure is all mine." I replied. He smiled slightly at attempt to be courteous yet I knew he would rather be anywhere else. I was trouble. That was a fact that could not be disputed.

Not surprising, we didn't have anything to talk about. We ate in absolute silence, which suited me fine. When we finished, I could see that the effects of my magic had taken affect. His pupils were dilated and he had a stupid smirk on his face.

"Hermes, how do you feel?" I asked.

"I feel however you want me to feel." A small smile crept on my face.

"How about we go on a little trip?" I suggested.

"I would go anywhere with you."

"Great, let's go to the underworld." Wings shot out of his shoes. He carried me in his arms and we were off.

Upon arrival in the underworld, we were met by Charon, the ferry boatman. Hermes gave him a Drachma coin and we rode on. Getting passed Cerberus with Hermes' help was easy enough. The underworld was dark and the groans of miserable spirits could be heard. Sealed away from the sun, it was freezing cold. We arrived at Hades' palace. The gates showed illustrations of painful and violent ways to die. They were a simply wonderful sight. It was a wonder how I could have been born a child of Zeus and not Hades. As we entered the palace, a tall figure stood over us, blocking out way. He had short blonde hair and grey lifeless eyes. Great wing spanned on his back- but this was no angel. It was Thanatos, the personification of death. He was the real grim reaper. He worked close with the Fates and reaped the souls of the dying. He was also a servant of Hades.

"I advise that you do not enter." He warned.

"Why not?" Hermes asked.

"The Master is not in a good mood."

"I don't care, let us pass." I hissed.

"Come back later"

"Move aside or you shall regret it." He attempted and failed to keep his composure. Fear clearly radiated in his eyes and he stepped aside. I had that affect on people- and gods. I knocked on the gigantic door.

"Thanatos, I told you I was not to be disturbed!" Hades bellowed.

"It's not Thanatos, uncle. It's Eris. May I enter?" I heard a heavy sigh and footsteps as Hades walked to open the door. I had to admit, he wasn't looking his best. His hair was long and oily. His clothes were grim and tattered. He even seemed to have paled more.

"Come in" Hermes and I entered. Hades slumped in his throne and we remained standing.

"What is the matter, uncle?" I asked, genuinely concerned.

"It is now spring. Persephone has left to be with Demeter and she shall not be back until autumn." Hades has been obsessing over since he first laid eyes on her. I'm not much of a romantic but I doubt that abducting your loved one is the way to their heart; but it seemed to work for him.

"Well, I have a plan that can cheer you up."

"I don't see how that can happen." He said gloomily.

"Well at least give me a chance to pitch my idea first."

"Proceed"

"As you may be aware, Naomi- a child of Poseidon- has fallen in love with Gaius- a child of Zeus. Needless to say, their parents don't approve. They tried to keep them apart. Finally, Gaius was killed by a monster and Zeus accused Poseidon of sending the beast to kill him. But he didn't- I did" Until I had spoken the words _'I did', _Hades was looking rather bored. I had finally caught his attention.

"You did that?" He asked.

"I did" I repeated.

A moment ago, he had looked very grim. Then he burst into laughter.

"What's so funny about that?" Hermes asked.

"She...got...my brothers to start...bickering." He explained in between fits of laughter. "I haven't seen them that infuriated in a long time." That was one thing Hades and I had in common; we tended to laugh at other people's misfortune.

"So you see how amusing this can be."

"Yes I do, please continue with your plan."

"Well, now that Gaius is dead, my fun has come to an end. But you're the god of the underworld. If you grant me permission, I can make sure that Gaius bathes in the River Lethe. Then he shall be able to be reborn and we can continue to toy with his life. The only down side is that he won't necessarily be reborn as a son of Zeus again."

"No matter, I'm sure we can find another way to amuse ourselves. Perhaps if we constantly make sure he is reborn, letting him find Naomi again and cruelly snatch him away again."

"My thoughts exactly" I loved the way he understood my mind.

So that's how it came to be. Gaius would die a painful death and then he would find his way to the underworld. I would approach him and advise him to bath in the River Lethe. It washed away all his memories. He became as innocent as a baby. The one thing that will remain was his magnetic connection to Naomi. I knew that Aphrodite and Eros were doing their best to make sure that he got his fairytale ending with the one he loved. Unfortunately for them, Hades and I made a terrific power couple (Not in THAT way!) and so far, tragedy reined Gaius' many lives. He had had many names and families. Sometimes he was a mortal, sometimes a demigod but he was never born a merman as their souls were different. Some people argued that they don't even have one.

Occasionally, Gaius and Naomi would reunite for a short time but he would be killed before they could be married or have children. But inevitably, he was eventually reborn a child of Zeus again. Thankfully, Zeus was constantly cheating on Hera. It was now the 21st century and society had changed a lot. Gaius was fifteen and living in the UK. Let's see how long he survived this time...

**Author's note: This is my first crossover story so I hope you enjoy it. I don't know how often I can update because I have a few other stories I'm working on. I wrote this story in my English class last year and I thought it would be a waste not to do something with it. PLEASE REVIEW!**


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